The ''Project-17'' Bravo frigates (P-17B) or Next Generation Frigates (NGF) are a class of planned stealth guided-missile frigates to be built for the
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...
(IN). The class will be a follow-on for Nilgiri-class frigates which is under construction. The class is a part of Next Generation series of future frontline surface combatants of the Indian Navy which includes Next Generation Destroyers (NGD) or Project 18-class destroyer and Next Generation Corvettes (NGC).
History
Background
In July 2024, reports suggested about a new class of 8 stealth frigates as follow-on of the previous Nilgiri-class frigates which was under construction till them. The ships were to be built by two shipyards with 1:1 order share of 4 ships each. The leading contenders for the deal were Mazagon Dockyard Limited (MDL) and
Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers
Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd, abbreviated as GRSE, is one of India's leading defence shipyards, located in Kolkata. It builds and repairs commercial and naval vessels. GRSE also exports the ships that the company builds.
Founded ...
(GRSE). The
Ministry of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
(MoD) was expected to clear the deal soon after the nature of the design of the frigates were under discussion for over a year. This would be the most technically advanced warships to be built in India. The ships will likely feature an indigenous main fire control radar against the EL/M-2248 MF-STAR radars on previous designs as well as other advanced indigenous weapon systems.
On 3 September 2024, the project, worth , was cleared by Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) – the main acquisition panel under the
Ministry of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
(MoD) headed by
Minister of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh (; born 10 July 1951) is an Indian politician and lecturer who is serving the Defence Minister of India since 20 May 2019. He was also the Deputy Leader of the House, Lok Sabha since 2014. He also served the Home Minister in th ...
for 7-8 next generation ships. The approval for other major projects and acquisitions like Future Ready Combat Vehicles (FRCVs) for
main battle tank
A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...
s of the Indian Army () and 31 MQ-9B drones was granted. Reports also suggested that the ships may weigh up to and have significantly enhanced firepower and strike capabilities when compared to the Nilgiri-class.
Design
Armament
The ship will be equipped with at least 48 VLS cells which will be compatible for launching
surface-to-air missiles
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-a ...
as well as
surface-to-surface missiles
A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed installations, or from a ship. They ar ...
and
anti-ship missiles
An anti-ship missile (AShM or ASM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. ...
including
Barak 8
Barak 8 (, lit. "Lightning"), also known as LR-SAM or MR-SAM and Barak MX, is an Indian-Israeli jointly developed surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, designed to defend against any type of airborne threat including aircraft, helicopters, anti-sh ...
,
Project Kusha
Project ''Kusha'', or Extended Range Air Defence System (ERADS), is a programme under the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. The programme was also previously referred to as XRSAM or P ...
Frigates of comparable configurations and capabilities
*
FREMM multipurpose frigate
The European multi-purpose frigate or FREMM (; ) is a Franco-Italian family of warships designed by Naval Group and Fincantieri. This surface combatant is known in France as the ''Aquitaine'' class (17 units planned, of which 9 were later cance ...
– A series of multi-purpose frigates, operated by the
French Navy
The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...
, the
Italian Navy
The Italian Navy (; abbreviated as MM) is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the ''Regia Marina'' (Royal Navy) after World War II. , the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active per ...
, the
Royal Moroccan Navy
The Royal Moroccan Navy of Morocco () is a branch of the military of Morocco responsible for conducting naval operations.
The Royal Moroccan Navy is administratively managed by the Administration of Defence, which is (''de facto'') commanded b ...
, the
Egyptian Navy
The Egyptian Navy (), also known as the Egyptian Naval Forces, is the maritime branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces. It is the largest navy in the Middle East as well as Africa, and is the twelfth largest (by the number of vessels) navy in the w ...
and currently being built for the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
and the
Indonesian Navy
The Indonesian Navy (, TNI-AL) is the Navy, naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol Indonesia's lengthy coastline, to enforce and patrol the territorial waters and Exclus ...
.
*
Type 26 frigate
The Type 26 frigate, also known as City-class frigate, is a ship class, class of frigates and destroyers being built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, with variants also being built for the Australian and Canadian navies. The programme, know ...
– A class of frigates ordered by the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
, the
Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...
and the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...
.
* – A class of multi-mission frigates currently being built for the
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...
.
* – A class of guided-missile frigates operated by the
Russian Navy
The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...
.
*
Constellation-class frigate
The ''Constellation'' is a class of multi-mission guided-missile frigates of the United States Navy based on the European multipurpose frigate or FREMM, in service with the Italian and French navies. ''Constellation'' follows the modular but pr ...
– A series of multi-purpose frigates currently being built for the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
List of active Indian Navy ships
The Indian Navy (IN), which is the naval warfare branch of the Indian Armed Forces, has approximately 135+ warships on active commission.
By forethought, the IN's Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP) for the period 2012–2027 had set ...